Microsoft Siri Clone & Fingerprint Sensor Alternative

Microsoft is working on a personal assistant like Siri in the Windows Phone 8.1 update. It’s called Cortana after a Halo character. The update will also include a notification center like Android and iOS.

Samsung is saying their next generation smartphones will be 64 bit like the new Apple iPhones. If they follow previous releases, it will be the Galaxy S5. A key question…as yet, not answered…will Android go 64 bit like the new iOS 7 to support it?

Blackberry is lobbying the Canadian government over their foreign takeover rule. A couple funds looked into Blackberry, but no Canadian company has stepped forward to buy the ailing smartphone maker. Lenovo and Microsoft are allegedly interested if the Canadian government will allow a foreign buyer.

For those who aren’t getting iPhone 5, are creeped put by the fingerprint sensor, or prefer other smartphones, some scientists at Illinois Institute of Technology are working on a program that calculates your taps and swipes, and identifies that it’s you. So far, it’s 99% accurate after any combination of 10 taps and swipes. No release date is set.

Speaking of your (in)security… an unnerving report for Android users…Google has the wifi password for every wifi you’ve ever logged into. It’s handy if you have to replace your phone, but if you don’t like the privacy intrusion, you can opt out in settings, and probably should.